Murder on the Orient Express

Lawrence Redmond, he/him, (Hercule Poirot) is pleased to make his Virginia Rep debut with this sterling company of artists. He is a Washington, DC native, a longtime DMV-based actor, and a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association since 1987. His most recent endeavors included A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at Signature Theatre, Sister Act at Ford’s Theatre and The Berlin Diaries at Theatre J.  He is a two-time recipient of the Helen Hayes Award, along with seven additional nominations.  He is a 2023 Lunt-Fontanne Fellow and 2023 Anderson-Hopkins Award for Excellence in Theatre recipient.  (9/12/25-19/13/12) www.lawrenceredmond.com

Frank Britton, he/him (Monsieur Bouc, U/S Hercule Poirot) is thrilled to return to Richmond stages (last appearance was Firehouse Theatre’s Wait Until Dark in 2014), and make his Virginia Rep debut. A native of Washington DC, he has appeared on many stages in the DMV and regionally for the past 23 years, and even off-off Broadway (Shape, La MaMa ETC). Most recent credits include the regional premiere of Primary Trust (Signature Theatre), Our Town (Baltimore Center Stage); Frontieres Sans Frontieres (Spooky Action Theater), Two Trains Running (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park/Milwaukee Repertory Theater); Major Barbara (Washington Stage Guild), and Angels In America, Part One (Arena Stage). Other credits include productions at Arena Stage, Round House Theatre, Studio Theatre, Imagination Stage, and 1st Stage. He is a four-time Helen Hayes Award nominee, and earned the Helen Hayes Award (the 2018 Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play-Helen) for his performance in Jesus Hopped The ‘A’ Train at 1st Stage, and as part of the ensemble (Outstanding Ensemble – Hayes), for Angels in America, Part One (2024). All gratitude to Rick, Ginnie, Hannah, Justin, and the Cast and Crew.

McLean Fletcher, she/her, (Greta Ohlsson, U/S Princess Dragomiroff) is excited to be back at Virginia Rep where some of her previous credits include Annie Wilkes U/S in Misery, Betsy/Lindsey in Clybourne Park, Beth in A Lie of the Mind, and Jill in Equus in partnership with Cadence Theatre, Mabry in The Human Terrain at Fifth Wall (RTCC for Best Leading Actress), and many others at Richmond Shakespeare, Firehouse and TheatreLAB. She has also performed with Studio Theatre, Constellation Theatre, Synetic Theatre, Folger Shakespeare, Shakespeare Theatre Company, The Kennedy Center, and others. McLean earned her MFA in classical theatre at The George Washington University.

Jan Guarino (Princess Dragomiroff) is so excited to be a part of this amazing cast for the fall! She was last seen on the November stage in the summer hit 9 to 5. Some of her favorite roles have been as Genie Klein in Beautiful, The Carole King Musical and playing Dorph in RTP’s Air Swimming. She had the privilege to direct Twas the Night Before Christmas and The Emperor’s New Clothes at the Va Rep Center. She has also directed (among others) Where’s Charley?, The Wizard of Oz and They’re Playing Our Song for Virginia Rep. A familiar face and voice in Richmond-area advertising, Jan is perhaps best known for being the Haynes Furniture spokesperson for over 30 years.

John-Michael Jalonen (Head Waiter, U/S Hector MacQueen, U/S Michel) is thrilled to be making his Va Rep debut! JM is an actor and writer based in Richmond. Previous stage credits include All My Sons and The Great Gatsby (Virginia Stage Company), Water by the Spoonful (Firehouse Theatre), Constellations, Pass Over, and Placebo (Yes, And! Theatrical Co.), Julius Caesar and The Merchant of Venice (Virginia Shakespeare Festival), and Now to Ashes (Kennedy Center Page-to-Stage). Film: Bentley’s Will, Killing Kennedy. Television: “Legends & Lies”, “Mysteries at the Museum” and more. Web Series: “The Breakdown,” “True Friends,” “Going Dark,” “I Love College.” His one-act plays “Brando Sundae” and “Him-Her” have been produced at Manhattan Repertory Theatre, The Players Theatre, and The Secret Theatre in NYC.

Matt Meixler (Hector MacQueen) is excited to return to Virginia Rep, where he previously appeared as Paul Sheldon in Misery. Richmond audiences may also recognize him from War in Pieces ’25 (Virginia War Memorial and Firehouse Theatre) and most recently as Steve in Burial Tax (Firehouse). Earlier in his career, Matt performed in New York and D.C. in works ranging from Shakespeare to American classics. He is a proud graduate of NYU Tisch (’06), where he studied Meisner and Neo-Classical techniques. Much love and gratitude to Mom, Heather, Nathan, and Liz for their unwavering support.

Ashley Thompson, she/her, (Countess Andrenyi)  is making her November stage debut in this production of Murder on the Orient Express. She was last seen on the Hanover Tavern stage as Margot Wendice in Dial M for Murder. Previous credits include Marianne / Roland in Constellations (Yes, And!), Ginny Cadbury in 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche (RTP), Shelly in Buried Child (Firehouse), Harriet / Sally Ride in Dr. Ride’s American Beach House (Yes, And!, 2024 RTCC Breakout Performance winner), and Marnie in Lewiston (HATTheatre). Ashley would like to dedicate all performances of this classic murder mystery to the everlasting light and lover of justice, Adam Turck.

Charlene Hong White, she/her, (Mary Debenham) is thrilled to join the brilliant cast and crew of Murder on the Orient Express for her Virginia Rep debut. An actor-musician (and Agatha Christie junkie!) Charlene was most recently seen at the American Shakespeare Center (Little Women, King Lear, The Comedy of Errors), at the American Stage (The Figs), and at the Aurora Theatre (Sister Act: The Musical). When not rehearsing for a show or acting on camera, Charlene enjoys thrifting, drinking snobby coffee, connecting with her Taiwanese heritage, and playing board games with her family and friends. Soli Deo Gloria.

Nathan Whitmer, he/him, (Colonel Arbuthnot/Samuel Ratchett) is making his Virginia Rep Debut. DC Theatre: The Heiress (Arena Stage), People, Places and Things (Studio Theatre), Candida (Washington Stage Guild). Off-Broadway: A.A.Milne’s The Ugly Duckling (Marvell Repertory Theatre). Regional: The Old Globe, Cincinnati Playhouse, Virginia Theatre Festival, Texas Shakespeare Festival, Roxy Regional Theatre, Fairbanks Shakespeare, and over 25 roles at the Barter Theatre where Nathan was a resident company member. Television: George Washington’s Secret Love, Mystery at Jamestown (Smithsonian Channel).  MFA – The University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Acting Program; BFA – Ohio University. Love to Virginia Rep veteran Emelie Thompson and our three fantastic kids. IG: @actornate

Travis Williams, he/him, (Michel the Conductor, U/S Arbuthnot/Ratchett) is delighted to be making his debut at the November Theater! He was last seen with VA Rep as Sherlock Holmes in Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery. Other Richmond Highlights include Mortimer Brewster in Arsenic & Old Lace at Dogwood Dell, Sebastian in The Tempest at Richmond Shakespeare, and Eddie/Dr. Scott in The Rocky Horror Show at Richmond Triangle Players. He has been a fixture in the improv scene for over a decade and is the creator of the Improv Mixtape, which can be seen at Bridge 9 Theater. He would like to thank his friends, family, and so much love to Rachel, his partner, for their continued support and strength as they continue this wonderful adventure together.

Rachel Dilliplane, she/her, (U/S Countess Adrenyi, U/S Mary Debenham) After a wonderful run as Maxine in Dial M for Murder and understudying several characters in Moriarty at Hanover Tavern, Rachel is delighted to be joining this stellar cast on the November Stage for another murder mystery with VARep. Other Richmond credits include: 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche and The Laramie Project with Richmond Triangle Players, Two Gentlemen of Verona (Bootleg), Red Velvet, and Love’s Labour’s Lost with Richmond Shakespeare; ALICE: A New Musical with Firehouse, and The Velveteen Rabbit with VARep. Offstage, Rachel is a professional voice actor. You may recognize her voice from projects with Nintendo, Delta Airlines, Dove, Nespresso, and Homes.com. Rachel is a proud member of Theta Theta Theta @tri_theta #supportlocaltheatre

Lily Marcheschi, she/they, (U/S Greta Ohlsson, U/S Helen Hubbard) last appeared as the Little Old Lady in VA Rep’s Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and is excited to join Virginia Rep once again as the understudy for both Greta Ohlsson and Helen Hubbard and force more of her accents upon the general public. You may see Lily’s photo up at some UPS stores around town, hocking her wares as a fake ceramicist with an equally fake tattoo sleeve to match. She currently has developed an obsession with baking bread and posting videos of said bread on the internet. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Mark Persinger, he/him, (U/S Monsieur Bouc, U/S Head Waiter) was last seen at the November Theatre in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Other shows with Virginia Rep include Beautiful, The Carol King Musical, Santa Clues, Mary Poppins, Croaker, Gypsy, South Pacific, My Fair Lady, White Christmas, Guys and Dolls, Seussical, Honk!, and She Loves Me. Additional local credits include Gabriel, The Musical with Firehouse Theatre; Shrek, The Musical at The Lynn Theatre; She Stoops to Conquer, The Taming of the Shrew and A Servant of Two Masters with Richmond Shakespeare; and It Shoulda Been You and La Cage aux Folles with Richmond Triangle Players. Love to Caryn and Lorelei for their endless support!

Rick has worked as an award-winning, DC-based actor, director, filmmaker, and arts manager for over three decades.

He received a 2018 Helen Hayes Award for his direction of Lela & Co. and a 2020 Helen Hayes Award nomination for his direction of Agnes of God, both for Factory 449. Other directing credits include Dizzy Miss Lizzie’s Roadside Revue’s The Brontes (New York Musical Theatre Festival), Reykjavik (Rorschach Theatre), Emilie: La Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight (WSC Avant Bard), Driving Miss Daisy featuring Karen Grassle (Riverside Center for the Performing Arts), Junie B. Jones Is Not a Crook (Adventure Theatre MTC), Dead Man Walking (American University) and Closet Land (Factory 449).

As an actor, he has performed Off-Broadway and regionally, receiving a Helen Hayes Award for his turn as Hedwig in Signature Theatre’s production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, as well as nominations for his work in Angels in America (Signature Theatre), Me and Jezebel (MetroStage) and Oliver! (Adventure Theatre MTC).

His debut film, signage, which he wrote, directed, and produced, has screened in over 60 film festivals worldwide, receiving 6 film festival awards and was subsequently licensed by MTV’s LOGO Channel.

He is a founder and the current Producing Artistic Director of Factory 449, the recipient of multiple Helen Hayes Awards, including the John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company, and the Executive Director of the Washington Area Performing Arts Video Archive (WAPAVA).

As Virginia Rep’s Artistic Director, he provides leadership of our programming, including our strategic planning processes. He is also our key liaison with the national theatre industry.

804-783-1688 ext. 1262